By Chef Christina Martin
Diane Melano, Ph.D., a functional medical nutritionist, never expected to own a bakery, but her drive to help two of her clients led her down an unexpected path.
One of her clients had Parkinson’s disease. He was struggling with preparing foods so he was not eating healthy.
During a consult, he mentioned he missed his mom’s pumpkin bread. Diane thought she could create a pumpkin bread that would be more nutritionally dense.
She started playing with adaptogens, and the idea of fermentation and what happens to food via fermentation clicked at that moment.
Diane would make and send loaves to her patient, and he would give her feedback as she began to study fermentation. This was before she became a food scientist.
The other client was an 8-year-old with cancer. The child’s oncologist and hospital nutritionist reached out to Diane for help to encourage the girl to consume more nutrients and calories.
When Diane met with her, all she wanted was a chocolate chip cookie. Diane thought about ways to get nutrients, protein, vitamins and healthy fats into a child who was going through so much and only wanted a chocolate chip cookie.
This is how The Beneficial Bakery began, but it wasn’t a business just yet. She was still in private practice and went into a degree program for food science. In the process her entire life changed, bridging the gap between functional medicine nutrition and food science.
Meanwhile, word started to spread in the area and people wanted to try the “Brain Bread” and the “Gooey Cookies,” which are now sold at the bakery. The Brain Bread is now made in muffin form.
Then Diane was asked to participate in the Margate Farmers Market. She was hesitant at first because she had medical debt and student loan debt through the roof. It was a giant leap of faith.
Diane thought about giving it a chance since there seemed to be a demand for her products. People were emailing and asking where they could get the bread and cookies for themselves or a family member.
She started out solo, but now she has a team. Karen Rogers from 6 ABC reached out to Diane to do a segment on her at the farmers market. So did other local media.
Rising business
She had a month to create a website, have her products ready, and figure out shipping because people wanted to purchase her baked goods from near and far. She had to rent space and found a place to bake from 5 p.m. to 3 a.m.
What differentiates her bakery from other gluten-free bakeries is that her products are made with fermented vegetables. This is her pride and joy and where all her studies in food science have flourished.
The baked goods are incredibly nutrient dense, gluten-free and do not contain commercially produced, gluten-free flours. This makes The Beneficial Bakery one of a kind.
They mill their own flours, which they make from vegetables and amaranth.
They have customers with autoimmune disorders including Crohn’s, rare blood disorders, diabetic, and gastrointestinal issues. Diane has some of these issues herself including gluten and other allergies.
She said when it comes to people’s health, it’s more than what they consume; it’s also the inner joy that they desperately miss when they are so sick.
As far as the available products nowadays, the breads always sell out, whether for pickup or delivery, especially the bagels. Cookies are another favorite, with eight to 10 veggies in a treat.
“As long as you don’t tell your child that there is cauliflower in it, they won’t know the difference,” she said. “But you know they are consuming something so good for them.”
At the bakery on Saturdays they are known for their carrot cake. The Mexican hot chocolate is one of my favorites and it is very unique. With no sugar added, it includes lots of adaptogens so it helps the body essentially balance itself. There are veggies in it and you don’t even know it. It is indulgent and topped with a luscious parsnip whipped cream. It feels so comforting and nourishing, but what you are getting is a meal.
New on the menu is the probiotic protein granola, yogurt and their cheeses.
A year and half ago Diane became very sick and was bedridden. The team ran the bakery for six months. She wanted something to feed her soul and was craving a grilled cheese, one of her favorites.
While not being able to sleep she looked into how dairy cheese is made, its chemical components, the aging process and how she could replicate that, but she didn’t want to make a vegan cheese like those commercially available.
Her cheeses taste amazing. Some local chefs I know have tried them and say they are unbelievable. Her blue cheese has been in the works since October 2023. You don’t want to miss when it is released Dec. 1 for preorder.
Cheeses are in the biggest demand and sell out every single week. They take anywhere from four to 14 months to make.
There is queso fresco, newly launched goat cheese, super melty cheeses like crafty American, sweet potato cheddar, Muenster, and Asiago, which is great for pastas and eggplant Parmesan.
There are aged crumbly cheeses like Irish cheddar, aged cheddar, and for holidays, mulberry aged, red wine truffle and blue cheese.
Word of mouth
The bakery has been promoted by word of mouth since Diane’s farmers market days and made the opening of the brick and mortar business possible in June 2021. The response has been incredible.
Diane has many shipping customers, too. They are foundational to the business and she is working on the logistics of shipping cheeses to them.
Local customers say the breads are their favorites along with the probiotic protein granola. The chocolate cherry granola is Diane’s favorite and the ingredients are spectacular including sprouted oats.
She recently started fermented jams with local fruit and figs which are grown at the bakery. Fermented veggie creamer, the best of the best, is another customer favorite.
Diane is particular about whom they source ingredients from. The maple sugar comes from their friend John in Maine. The maple syrup comes from their friend Kim in Vermont. And they also have a preferred farmer for their grains.
You can sign up for their newsletter on their website and team member Arteah, who puts together this lovely newsletter, can send it out to you every Saturday.
The online store opens Sunday at noon for customers to select products. Pickup is from 8 to 11 a.m. at the bakery on Saturday, or you can select a shipping option.
If you go into the bakery there are items that are not available online that you can purchase including carrot cake, hot chocolate, yogurt parfaits, different cheeses and jams, mixes. Most recently, pizza slices can be purchased in the bakery.
Diane’s best friend Kacie runs a business called Earth Drenched, which is an eco-friendly dyeing company. She maintains the bakery grounds and the produce that they grow, along with herbs and edible flowers that they dry and use for baked goods.
One of her products is a dyed apron which is a beautiful lavender color. I have one and love wearing it to cook. It ties in as the business goes from vegetables to fermentation, to dehydration, to milling flours to blends to get to its baked goods.
Kacie takes the seed, grows a flower or plant, ferments it, boils it, distills it to make a color. These two processes are so similar in creating something that takes time and becomes a beautiful and exceptional product. Diane and Kacie have come up with some amazing items like their cheese boards.
“If you are someone who cannot have dairy or don’t eat dairy for personal reasons, imagine having a beautiful board that has been died with fermented huckleberries that grew in this area, sanded and polished by Kacie and you have your wedge of cheese that took four months to age, with some gluten-free baguette slices or crackers and you give yourself the most beautiful moment. That is healing.”
The team that makes this all happen includes Tyler who makes the English muffins, Theresa who makes the cookies, Aidan who helps bake and Jorge, Diane’s husband, who manages the whole operation. Without this team Diane says the bakery would not be what it is.
She has to plan ahead as they have been working since March for this holiday season. It is challenging.
Diane said it’s a privilege and honor to do what she does. She gets photos from people from all over, something which motivates her. She is grateful for the community and is excited for the future.
The Beneficial Bakery, located at 6572 Mill Road, Egg Harbor Township, offers pickup 8-11 a.m. Saturdays at the bakery. See thebeneficialbakery.com or find The Beneficial Bakery on Facebook and Instagram.
Chef Christina Martin is a dedicated chef educator, passionate advocate for healthy eating, and mother. Christina’s expertise has been spotlighted in Independent Restaurateur Magazine and she has been awarded 2024 Chef Educator of the Year from the Professional Chef Association of South Jersey.
